Freight Motor 374

CRP&L Co. Freight Motor 374

The Columbus Railway Power and Light Company's Columbus - Westerville line was more like an interurban railroad than a city streetcar line. The cars assigned to the route had center aisle cross seats rather than the bench seats found on the streetcars. They had two motors per truck instead of the one-motor maximum traction trucks used on the streetcars. The cars were equiped with bright interurban headlight for the run through the countryside. Customers received hourly service rather than the 5-10 minute headways found on most of the streetcar routes.

Finally the line provided freight service between Columbus and Westerville. Freight motor 374 built in 1907 provided that less-then-carload package service. The CRP&L Co. had a small freight house at Cleveland and Mt. Vernon Avenues for the Columbus end of the service.

When CRP&L started numbering work equipment with a leading zero 374 became 015. In 1915 a new Freight motor 055 would also work the Westerville route. As late as 1926 the Westerville freight motor made three daily round trips between Westerville and Columbus providing a valuable service to the once isolated village.

For the modelers out there here is a drawing of 374 prepared by Donald A. Kaiser working from an original CRP&L Co. drawing and photographs.